Passive Solar

Passive solar design tries to optimise the amount of energy that can be derived directly from the sun, by careful planning of buildings to collect the sun's heat, thus reducing the need for heating. Similarly careful consideration of building materials and fabric can help to further reduce the need for space heating, ventilation and artificial lighting.

When designing a scheme to benefit from Passive solar energy, there are a number of key considerations that need to be taken into account:

• The orientation of the buildings on the site - their position in relation to due South.
• The relative heights of other buildings and trees, anything that can cause over-shadowing.
• Light penetration within the site.
• More importantly, the positioning of 'day-space' rooms. These are rooms where the bulk of activities take place during daylight hours - such as the lounge, family rooms and studies.

We have used this massing of the housing units to achieve the best arrangement for passive solar energy. From South to North the buildings gradually increase in height. This allows a greater penetration of daylight across the entire scheme.

Day light penetration; predictable but changeable.